This invention relates generally to therapy tables and, more specifically, to an automated therapy table and method therefor having various body part support portions capable of independent automatic actuation in order to allow a physical therapist to easily move parts of a person""s body medially/laterally, posteriorly/anteriorly and rotatably in order to create myofascia release and to cause other physical improvements.
Many people suffer from physical pain and discomfort in their muscles and joints. One common source of such pain has to do with the myofascia, a thin film that wraps around muscle tissue. The myofascia wraps around the muscle fibers individually as well as the muscles themselves and also forms the tendons and ligaments which connect the muscles to other parts of the body. It is the myofascia that supports the body""s musculature. A great deal of pain can result when the myofascia of a person becomes tight or thick. Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) are two conditions in which the lack of myofascial flexibility is present. When the myofascia loses its elasticity, the efficiency of neurotransmitters, which communicate messages between the brain and the rest of body, are impaired. Among other symptoms, physical pain usually results from myofascial abnormalities.
People with various forms of muscle and/or joint pain often seek the assistance of a physical therapist, chiropractor or other medical practitioner in order to alleviate their discomfort. A physical therapist will often resort to stretching techniques to ease a patient""s discomfortxe2x80x94positioning the patient on a therapy table and manually stretching the patient""s body so as to increase the flexibility of the myofascia. As a therapist holds in place a portion of a patient""s body, the myofacia are stretched and loosened, creating myofascia release in a person""s body. This can be physically demanding for the therapist.
A need therefore existed for an automated therapy table which could be controlled by a physical therapist or other medical practitioner to actuate various component portions of the table in order to move parts of a person""s body in a desired direction for a desired period of time without causing physical stress to the medical practitioner.
An object of the present invention is to provide an automated therapy table capable of being controlled by a medical practitioner to actuate various component portions of the table in order to manipulate parts of a person""s body in desired directions to desired locations and for desired periods of time for purposes of myofascia release without causing undue physical stress to the medical practitioner.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an automated therapy table dimensioned to support a person in a horizontal position is disclosed, comprising, in combination, a lumbar portion having an inferior end and a superior end, a thoracic portion having an inferior end and a superior end, the inferior end of the thoracic portion is moveably coupled to the superior end of the lumbar portion, a first arm portion moveably coupled to a first side of the thoracic portion proximate the superior end of the thoracic portion, the first arm portion is capable of medial movement and lateral movement and posterior movement and anterior movement relative to the thoracic portion, a second arm portion moveably coupled to a second side of the thoracic portion proximate the superior end of the thoracic portion, the second arm portion is capable of medial movement and lateral movement and posterior movement and anterior movement relative to the thoracic portion, a head support having one end moveably coupled to the superior end of the thoracic portion and dimensioned to support the head of a person, and a drive mechanism dimensioned to permit independent automated movement of at least one of the lumbar portion and the thoracic portion and the first arm portion and the second arm portion and the head support.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for creating myofascia release in a person""s body is disclosed, comprising, in combination, the steps of providing a lumbar portion having an inferior end and a superior end, providing a thoracic portion having an inferior end and a superior end, the inferior end of the thoracic portion is moveably coupled to the superior end of the lumbar portion, providing a first arm portion moveably coupled to a first side of the thoracic portion proximate the superior end of the thoracic portion, the first arm portion is capable of medial movement and lateral movement and posterior movement and anterior movement relative to the thoracic portion, providing a second arm portion moveably coupled to a second side of the thoracic portion proximate the superior end of the thoracic portion, the second arm portion is capable of medial movement and lateral movement and posterior movement and anterior movement relative to the thoracic portion, providing a head support having one end moveably coupled to the superior end of the thoracic portion and dimensioned to support the head of a person, providing a drive mechanism dimensioned to permit independent automated movement of at least one of the lumbar portion and the thoracic portion and the first arm portion and the second arm portion and the head support, selecting for movement at least one of the lumbar portion and the thoracic portion and the first arm portion and the second arm portion and the head support, selecting a direction of movement, and activating the drive mechanism.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.